Local military vets empowered with jobs at energy co-op

Energy cooperative Tipmont REMC is participating in a nationwide initiative to hire more military veterans.

Counties.

And as news 18's joe paul reports, the initiative could benefit an industry in need of a highly skilled workforce.

< "it is a tough transition."

More than 200- thousand military veterans transition every year to civilian life.

And energy cooperative tipmont remc is part of a nationwide initiative to hire more veterans like operations analyst michelle hall.

She was a captain in the army reserve for nine years and went on two tours to the horn of africa.

There she combated recruitment into terror and piracy cells.

"a lot of things you take for granted while you live here in the united states, and then you go overseas and you see how difficult life is."

But hall says working at tipmont does share similarities to military life.

"the people here, they seem to share the same values that those of us with a military background have: the integrity, the hard work, the teamwork."

Hall is one of nine veterans working at tipmont comprising ten percent of its workforce.

Tipmont communication director rob ford says the industry will be in need of highly skilled workers.

"electric co-ops across the nation, there are about 15-thousand of our employees that are probably going to retire in the next three to five years and tipmont is certainly not immune to that."

Tipmont gis technician jeff pickard retired from the army national guard in 2015.

"i was driving around ubering at all these colleges, and as i was driving around, i was thinking to melf, what are you doing?"

Pickard went back to school and says more veterans should consider working in the industry.

"i think there's a lack of knowledge we exist, so i think once people realize that, hey, this is a great industry to be in, i think once we get that word out, that message, that we'll see a lot of interest."

Reporting in linden, joe paul, news 18.

One hundred and sixty electric co-ops are part of the vets power us initiative.

You can find more information about the effort on our website, wlfi.com.

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